After marrying an
English lord and widower, young Delia Conisborough embarks on a journey
from San Souci, Virginia to London England. Innocent and naive,
she has high hopes for her marriage, hoping to make her new home as
welcoming as the atmosphere of San Sourci. Just as she prepares
for her presentation to the British king, she discovers that Sylvia,
the woman chosen to make the presentation, has been having an affair
with her husband. Delia stands by her husband, insuring his
political and societal position, but her idealistic hopes are
shattered. After adapting to her new home and all the inner
workings of the London circle, suddenly her husband Ivor is sent to
Egypt to assist King Fuad. As Hitler's power increases and the
world moves towards WWII, the life of her daughters Petra and Davina
and their lovers face new challenges as family secrets are revealed and
Egypt's political position faces change. Not only is Egypt a pawn
between England and Germany, but forces within Egypt itself strive to
rid the country of British imperialism. Unlike their mother who
faces much of the changes with a steadfast distancing at least on the
surface, love drives Petra and Davina into the current events unfolding
even when they least expect it.

Rebecca Dean's PALACE CIRCLE
is a cross between historical fiction and
historical romance that will appeal to readers wanting a light story
where the happy ending of the romance genre does not necessarily apply
in the form it usually takes in romance. PALACE CIRCLE tells the story
of two generations throughout the post-WWI period through some of
events of WWII as England and Germany battle over position in
Egypt. PALACE CIRCLE
views history through the eyes of the palace
world, both in England and Egypt. Not only is Egyptian history
seen from more the perspective of England, but the action centers
around the social scenes and love affairs of those attached to English
and Egyptian royalty. Extra-marital affairs are rampant, often
accepted but not spoken of in polite circles but these affairs often
motivate the action and relationships within the novel. At times,
the reader catches a glimpse of the social and financial difficulties
of the Egyptians through Davina's social conscience and her
relationship with the Egyptian Darius although to a certain extent, the
tone of these vignettes remains light and more meant to pull the heart
strings and endear the reader to the goodness within the characters, as
in the Davina's discovery of the broken down donkeys.

Rebecca Dean breaks the narrative of PALACE
CIRCLE into 5 parts, each
which focuses one character as time progresses: Delia (1911-1930),
Petra (1930-1934), Davina (1934-1939), Darius (1940), Jack
(1940). The structure gives the narrative the feel of a
sweeping family saga while also focusing on the more particular crucial
formative moments in a character's life. The first three parts
chart the love lives of the mother and daughters as well as the
disappointments and failures in love due to the political, social and
cultural complications each woman faces. As the novel moves from the
women to the men, the slightly tragic tone of the romance changes
direction as the political scene becomes more prominent. The
presence of spies and the tenuous position of Egypt intenally and
within the world scene steps of the level of suspenseful intrigue.
The last two parts, the most interesting in my opinion, provide
more of glimpse into the historical currents of the times. Still
on the lighter tone and focused on the characters, these sections do
provide an image of Egypt within the framework of worldwide events of
the times, giving some background to later events in Egyptian history
perhaps more familiar to some readers. Despite the setting,
PALACE CIRCLE, however, remains a character-driven novel. For the
most part, history remains in the background, based on mention of
prominent personalities, as the setting for the development of
the characters' personal lives as the unfolding plot action challenges
them with new events.

PALACE CIRCLE is a
light historical fiction with romantic elements
where appearance and society play a large role. If you are
looking for a work of historical fiction that details all the nuances
of history from a ground level view from the point of view of an
Egyptian middle or lower class perspective outside the social network
of the palace, this is not it. With its portrait of a family and
its journey in location, PALACE
CIRCLE makes for a nice weekend escape
reading adventure. The pace is quick, the reading easy and I
found myself easily drawn into the story. PALACE CIRCLE will
appeal to readers of historical romance who want a book that expands
the stricter boundaries of the romance genre. In PALACE CIRCLE,
the romance is not always happy, and the characters (particularly Ivor)
verge from the more standard romance hero and heroines into shades of
grey. Sometimes the characters make wrong choices and sometimes
the characters discover the choices that are right for them only
through a series of misadventures. As a reader of both romance
and more historically-detailed historical fiction, I found PALACE
CIRCLE a welcome change for a relaxing enjoyable late night read.